After being open for 10 days, pedestrian tunnel in Cranford closes for more repair work

CRANFORD - Just 10 days after reopening for public use, the pedestrian tunnel linking Hillside Avenue and North Lehigh Avenue will be closed for construction for the second time this month.

In an alert sent through the Nixel system on Monday, Nov. 29, the Cranford Police Department asked pedestrians to avoid the tunnel due to additional construction through Friday, December 4th. However, just a day later, the tunnel reopened for pedestrians.

Leslie MurrayJust 10 days after reopening for public use, the Hillside Avenue tunnel will be closed again this week. Earlier this month, workers power washed the pedestrian tunnel that links Hillside and North Lehigh avenues in preparation of repair work. After years of efforts and a budget that ballooned to $150,000 the project, work this week will cost the township about $12,000.

Earlier this month, from Nov. 15 until Nov. 19, the passageway was closed, with pedestrians diverted to Centennial Avenue for the duration of the construction.

A short passageway that cuts beneath commercial rail road tracks, the Hillside Avenue tunnel is a popular cut through for students walking to school and pedestrians and cyclists making their way across the south side of the township. However, the tunnel has become problematic over time as water collects on the walkway and a thick, tar-like substance drips on unsuspecting pedestrians below.

Complaints about the ooze and safety concerns ultimately prompted the township to draft plans to repair the tunnel, talking about the project as early as the 2006 capital budget process. However, the project was pushed back because of limited funds and concerns over ownership of the tunnel.

The projected budget for the project ballooned to over $100,000 at one point. However, the project began this month with a budget of around $12,000 to clean the tunnel and apply a sealant that would stop the oozing and deal with flooding concerns at the site.